Chant redeems itself
with new discHands of Time Chant (Flyin' Hawaiian Entertainment)
CHANT introduced itself last year with a Christmas song and an unremarkable remake of the Shirelles' 1961 hit, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." The group's debut album is much more promising. It contains eight originals and is as smooth a local-style "urban" album as any thus far this year.
Given the local preference for "slow jams," Chant should be getting major play from Hawaii's pop and "urban-oriented" radio stations.
Producer Lester Gantan backs the septet with synthesizers and keyboards; he also did the arrangements. Most suggest the hits of Bobby Caldwell ("What You Won't Do For Love") and Major Harris ("Love Won't Let Me Wait"), but "Will I Ever" has a more contemporary blend of vocals and rhythms. It is as good as most of the similar national releases currently getting play on stations like I-94.
The title track is routine local pop, and "Get It On" suffers from generic Jawaiian affectations, but overall Chant has one of the best local debut albums of the year.
Roy Sakuma Presents Hawaiian Classics Daniel Ho (Roy Sakuma Productionsl)
ROY Sakuma enlisted island expatriate Daniel Ho as primary musician on this collection of Hawaiian and hapa-haole standards. Ho plays ukulele and several instruments. His arrangements make these instrumentals relaxing and interesting listening.
Ho avoids the obvious (like Jawaiian versions of anything), but occasionally shades his arrangements with hints of country, rock and the blues. These ideas add fresh insights the songs.
By Request Genoa Keawe (Genoa Keawe Records)
THIS is the second Keawe album rereleased recently on disc. It was rereleased with out updating the original liner notes, but even so it is a perfect introduction to Keawe and her music.
Keawe's exquisite voice and crisp acoustic arrangements define an era and a style of classic modern Hawaiian music. Jean "Kini" Sullivan's original annotation provides lyrics, basic translations, and additional information.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
See Aloha Worldwide for locals living away.
John Berger, who has covered the local
entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings
produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
